"Motive generally gives a lead...but here there are half a dozen different people with half a dozen different motives, and nothing to suggest which one was operative - revenge, greed, hate, love, jealousy, they all come into it."

Inspector Bobby Owen of the Wychshire County police was summing up the problem which faced him as he tried to discover the murderer of a prominent local lawyer. What he found was an excessive number of potential (and credible) suspects, all of whom had what might be considered very valid reasons to commit murder.

All this, it should be noted, was happening as the storm clouds of World War II were preparing to break over England, leaving Bobby Owen extremely short-handed for the manpower to handle the basics of a criminal investigation. And, it should be noted, he had little idea of the nightmare that awaited him in a small, dark and remote garden. You'll find the full story in The Dark Garden, by E. R. Punshon, first published in 1941. It's the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast. You can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

A local farmer, Osman Ford, had come to Bobby's office to ask for police help in forcing high-powered lawyer Nathaniel Anderson to turn over money he was holding for Ford's wife. Bobby Owen didn't see where that would be police business, especially at a time when so many men were being called up for military duty. So when Anderson was found dead soon afterwards with a bullet in his back, Bobby Owen had to determine whether Osman Ford had decided to take some action on his own behalf. It soon became clear that there were a number of other people who might have had a grudge against Anderson, with several different possible motives. Inspector Owen was going to have to explore a fair number of those motives – and a fair number of suspects – in his search for a killer - and for evidence that would stand up in court.

More thriller than puzzle, The Dark Garden provides plenty of surprises, as Bobby Owen uncovers secret after secret and motive after motive, all culminating in a powerfully dramatic confrontation in the blacked-out garden of a deserted cottage. Mystery historian Curtis Evans provides an introduction to this new Dean Street Press edition.

]]>"Motive generally gives a lead...but here there are half a dozen different people with half a dozen different motives, and nothing to suggest which one was operative - revenge, greed, hate, love, jealousy, they all come into it." Inspector Bobby..."Motive generally gives a lead...but here there are half a dozen different people with half a dozen different motives, and nothing to suggest which one was operative - revenge, greed, hate, love, jealousy, they all come into it." Inspector Bobby..."Motive generally gives a lead...but here there are half a dozen different people with half a dozen different motives, and nothing to suggest which one was operative - revenge, greed, hate, love, jealousy, they all come into it." Inspector Bobby...General Suggestions, Thrillers, classic mysteries, mysteries, mystery, thrillershttps://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/DarkGarden.mp3From the Vault: "The Case of the Constant Suicides"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2019/01/from-the-vault-the-case-of-the-constant-suicides.htmlFrom the VaultFunny MysteriesGeneral SuggestionsGolden AgeLocked Rooms/Impossible Crimesclassic mysteriesFrom the Vaultimpossible crimesJohn Dickson Carrlocked roomsmysteriesmysteryLes BlattThu, 17 Jan 2019 12:49:49 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3a9ace2200d

You would think, with all the attention now being paid to classic-but-forgotten mystery writers from the Golden Age in both the U.K. and U.S., that some enterprising publisher would by now have acquired the rights to re-publish all or at least most of the works of John Dickson Carr (who also wrote as "Carter Dickson"). Unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet, at least not that I can tell. If Carr's name is new to you, he was - and remains, I think - the ultimate master of the locked room/"impossible" crime mystery. For that reason, I thought it might be a good time to raid the vault for the text of my audio review of Carr's brilliant The Case of the Constant Suicides, which ran on the Classic Mysteries podcast about eight years ago. The book is out of print (again), but there do seem to be a few dozen copies out there in the wild, in case you'd like to see why I make such a fuss over Carr's books. As always, there has been some editing, mostly to update information about the book's availability:

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When Angus Campbell fell to his death from his room at the top of a high tower, he left several unanswered questions behind. First among them, certainly, was the question of whether Angus had committed suicide – or had been murdered. If suicide, why would he kill himself and so invalidate his fairly new life insurance policies, thus leaving his family as paupers? But if it was murder, how could it have been committed inside a locked and bolted room? Fortunately for the Campbells, Dr. Gideon Fell, that master at solving impossible crimes, was on hand – and he found himself confronted with more than one impossibility in The Case of the Constant Suicides.

John Dickson Carr was the acknowledged master of the locked room or impossible crime story. Almost all of his books feature crimes – usually murder – that apparently never could have happened – but somehow did. And Carr was scrupulously fair with his readers, giving them every clue they needed to solve his impossible crimes before his detective – if the readers were clever enough to pick up those clues and follow them. It was a game to both Carr and to his readers – the grandest game, he often called it, and it is one of the reasons why he remains one of my favorite authors.

Carr has been out of print for far too long, and I am delighted that the Rue Morgue Press has been reissuing some of his best books. [Note that the RMP is no longer in business, so the books are, once again, out of print. -Ed.] The newest addition to their list is The Case of the Constant Suicides, which has to be one of Carr’s finest books. It was first published in 1941, and it is set in a Britain which has begun blacking its lights out at night, in preparation for what would become the devastating Nazi blitz.

The Case of the Constant Suicides revolves around two young people – rival history professors, in fact – somewhat distant relatives and members of the Campbell family, who are summoned to the family’s castle in the Scottish highlands. The family’s patriarch, old Angus Campbell, has died in a fall from his locked bedroom, located in a virtually inaccessible high tower attached to the castle. If he was murdered, or if it was an accident (which seems highly unlikely), then his heirs will receive the payouts on some insurance policies which he took out shortly before his death.

But if it was murder – as the family believes, for suicide would be most unlike Angus, particularly as he would have known that suicide would mean no money for his heirs – if it was murder, how was it done? Angus was sleeping in his bedroom, which was locked and bolted, at the top of the tower, accessible only by an inner stairway – there was no other way to reach the room. But what happened to Angus’s diary, which disappeared from the bedroom after his death? And what of the empty animal carrier, found latched under his bed, empty? Did it contain some nightmarish creature that killed him by forcing him to leap out of that tower window? What of the later appearance of an apparent ghost in the tower – or another person’s fall from the tower room, under the same circumstances?

And just when we think we may know the answer to that question, there is another death – another man, found hanging inside a locked and bolted cottage.

The man who makes sense out of all these peculiar happenings is Carr’s wonderful character, Dr. Gideon Fell. Physically and mentally, Fell is based on the author G. K. Chesterton, the creator of Father Brown. Dr. Fell is an expert at solving impossible crimes, and he finds himself challenged by the events in this book – although he will eventually reach a solution and even bring about what he will consider a fair and just end to a difficult case.

What all this fails to tell you is that The Case of the Constant Suicides is also a wonderfully, laugh-out-loud funny book. Set in Scotland, the characters find themselves drinking a family whiskey known as the Doom of the Campbells – called that for excellent reason. There are drinking scenes perhaps best described as heroic. Here’s young Alan Campbell – one of our history professors – taking his first taste of the whiskey:

He lifted the glass, drained it, and almost literally reeled.

It did not take the top of his head off, but for a second he thought it was going to. The stuff was strong enough to make a battleship alter its course. The veins of his temples felt bursting; his eyesight dimmed; and he decided that he must be strangling to death.

The description goes on at some length. Be forewarned that, just as the drink itself was amazingly powerful, so too will be the hangover when Alan wakes up the next morning.

There are other brilliantly funny passages – particularly the rivalry and eventual romance between Alan and his second cousin twice removed, the other history professor, Kathryn Campbell. But there is also a marvelously frightening atmospheric quality to the nightmarish events in the book. Carr was always masterful at suggesting unseen and supernatural terrors – that would all, of course, be quite rationally explained at the end of the book.

Enough. It is funny. It is mysterious. It is fair to the reader. It is a delight. The Case of the Constant Suicides is one of John Dickson Carr’s best. It should not be missed.

]]>You would think, with all the attention now being paid to classic-but-forgotten mystery writers from the Golden Age in both the U.K. and U.S., that some enterprising publisher would by now have acquired the rights to re-publish all or at...You would think, with all the attention now being paid to classic-but-forgotten mystery writers from the Golden Age in both the U.K. and U.S., that some enterprising publisher would by now have acquired the rights to re-publish all or at...You would think, with all the attention now being paid to classic-but-forgotten mystery writers from the Golden Age in both the U.K. and U.S., that some enterprising publisher would by now have acquired the rights to re-publish all or at...From the Vault, Funny Mysteries, General Suggestions, Golden Age, Locked Rooms/Impossible Crimes, classic mysteries, From the Vault, impossible crimes, John Dickson Carr, locked rooms, mysteries, mysteryhttp://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/CaseOfTheConstantSuicides.mp3"Trouble in Triplicate"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2019/01/trouble-in-triplicate.htmlGeneral SuggestionsPrivate EyesShort StoriesArchie Goodwinclassic mysteriesmysteriesmysterymystery novellasNero WolfeRex StoutLes BlattMon, 14 Jan 2019 07:10:21 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3cef6c4200b

Three cases of murder. Three men who showed up on Nero Wolfe's doorstep, looking for help. Three men who would soon be murder victims, each wanting to hire Nero Wolfe. And that would leave Nero Wolfe and his right-hand assistant, Archie Goodwin right in the midst of three very difficult and dangerous murder cases as they tried to deal with Trouble in Triplicate, which is the title of a very good collection of Wolfe and Goodwin stories by Rex Stout. It is the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

Between 1934 and his death in 1975, Rex Stout wrote 33 novels featuring the corpulent genius, Nero Wolfe, and his wise-cracking aide, Archie Goodwin. He also wrote 39 novellas, shorter length mysteries, for Wolfe and Goodwin. These stories generally made their debut appearances serialized in one of the popular American magazines at the time, and then were collected, usually in threes and fours, for book publication. One of those collections was Trouble in Triplicate, which contained three shorter stories which had been published first in The American Magazine before being gathered into a book in 1949.

In the first of those stories, called “Before I Die,” the would-be client is a powerful and dangerous mobster named Dazy Perritt. He wants to hire Wolfe to stop someone from blackmailing him. Wolfe takes the case – but almost immediately Perritt is shot and killed practically on Wolfe’s doorstep, and – all of a sudden –Perritt’s gangland associates, convinced that Wolfe and Goodwin are responsible for Perritt’s murder, may now be seeking to even the score. Wolfe’s going to have to find a solution to the murder – and at the same time keep himself and Archie off the gangsters’ hit list.

The next client is a businessman – a publisher, named Ben Jensen. In “Help Wanted, Male,” Ben Jensen has received an anonymous letter with a frightening message: YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE – AND I WILL WATCH YOU DIE. Jensen wants Wolfe to find and stop the would-be murderer, and he doesn’t like it when Wolfe refuses on the grounds that it’s virtually an impossible task to block a determined killer. Sure enough, by the next day, Ben Jensen is dead, shot through the heart. Regrettable, to be sure, but, as Wolfe insists, none of his business. Until that same message – YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE – AND I WILL WATCH YOU DIE – turns up in Wolfe’s morning mail. Now, Nero Wolfe realizes that he will have to find the killer – or die trying.

In the third and final novella, called “Instead of Evidence,” another businessman, Eugene R. Poor, comes to Wolfe with a slightly different request. Poor is convinced that he is about to be murdered by his business partner, Conroy Blaney, with whom Poor manufactures novelty joke items like exploding cigars. Poor agrees with Wolfe that it’s almost impossible to stop a determined murderer, but what he wants Wolfe to do after his death is make sure the killer is brought to justice. Sure enough, Poor soon becomes a murder victim – of an exploding cigar, no less – but did Con Blaney really kill him? Wolfe has his own way of getting at the truth – and his own way of making sure the killer doesn’t escape.

Three novellas about people in trouble. Three challenges to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. And three highly entertaining stories from Rex Stout, as narrated by the inimitable voice of Archie – or at least by Archie’s inimitable wisecracks that leap out of the pages at us. You'll enjoy Trouble in Triplicate.

]]>Three cases of murder. Three men who showed up on Nero Wolfe's doorstep, looking for help. Three men who would soon be murder victims, each wanting to hire Nero Wolfe. And that would leave Nero Wolfe and his right-hand assistant,...Three cases of murder. Three men who showed up on Nero Wolfe's doorstep, looking for help. Three men who would soon be murder victims, each wanting to hire Nero Wolfe. And that would leave Nero Wolfe and his right-hand assistant,...Three cases of murder. Three men who showed up on Nero Wolfe's doorstep, looking for help. Three men who would soon be murder victims, each wanting to hire Nero Wolfe. And that would leave Nero Wolfe and his right-hand assistant,...General Suggestions, Private Eyes, Short Stories, Archie Goodwin, classic mysteries, mysteries, mystery, mystery novellas, Nero Wolfe, Rex Stouthttps://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/TroubleInTriplicate.mp3From the Vault: "Ten Thousand Blunt Instruments"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2019/01/from-the-vault-ten-thousand-blunt-instruments.htmlFrom the VaultGeneral SuggestionsShort StoriesLes BlattFri, 11 Jan 2019 12:04:24 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3a989d3200d

Browsing through the Classic Mysteries vault again the other day, I was delighted to come across this entry from about eight years ago pointing out the excellent mystery short stories written by Philip Wylie. I read some books by Wylie while growing up - not his mysteries, but some of his other works, for he was a most enjoyable writer working in many genres. His mystery short stories were collected into a volume called Ten Thousand Blunt Instruments, and my review is here (as always, somewhat edited):

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A large natural history museum can be a scary place at night, after the tourists have gone home for the day. It’s a world of eerie shadows cast by the bones of long-dead dinosaurs. And when evil stalks the hallways, looking to commit murder, it does so in the midst of quite literally Ten Thousand Blunt Instruments – which is the name of a collection of stories by Philip Wylie.

Philip Wylie was a very prolific author, writing primarily in the first half of the twentieth century. He wrote all kinds of things – poetry, essays, screenplays, newspaper columns, fiction and non-fiction. He was the co-author of When Worlds Collide, a book which became a major influence on science fiction. He also wrote another book called Gladiator which is said to have influenced the creator of Superman. And, along with all his other works, he wrote a number of very good traditional mysteries, both novels and short stories.

It is six of Philip Wylie’s shorter works which are brought together in this Crippen & Landru collection called Ten Thousand Blunt Instruments. While they are quite different, one from another, these stories written between 1931 and 1944 are all ingenious puzzles and marvelous character studies.

Consider the plots:

In “Murder at Galleon Key,” a man finds himself not only suspected of murder – but being framed for it – all in the midst of a dangerous hurricane on a small island off the Florida coast.

“In a Hole” is a delightful story about a former bank clerk who now fancies himself as a private investigator. And despite the skepticism of the police, he manages to thwart single-handedly a carefully planned major bank heist.

“It Couldn’t be Murder” follows a young artist who finds that a series of deaths in one family are really very clever – and almost untraceable – murders. He will risk his own life to prove it.

“The Paradise Canyon Mystery” is set at an upscale resort hotel. A young Olympic swimming champion – a trained engineer unable to find work in his field – takes a post as a swimming instructor and finds himself chasing a ruthless killer across the Southwestern desert.

“Death Whispers” is a chilling story about a newspaper editor, temporarily blind as the result of some eye surgery. He hears noises in the next apartment which convince him that a murder has taken place – and then finds himself trying to solve the murder and, worse, grappling with a murderer whom he cannot see.

And finally there’s the story which gives the book its title. “Ten Thousand Blunt Instruments” is set in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. When one of the staff members is murdered, police must cope with the fact that the murder weapon could be any of the thousands of potential blunt instruments hanging on the walls, or sitting in exhibit cases, around the museum. The shadowy exhibit halls and the not-so-deserted backstage corridors of the museum provide a chilling background to this hunt for a murderer and a motive.

Six stories. Six puzzles, to be sure, for Wylie follows the traditional mystery form and provides us with clues along the way. And he provides us with absolutely memorable characters. I suspect people like the blind newspaper editor, the Olympic swimmer and the young man nearly framed for murder will stay in your memory long after you finish the stories. Wylie was an accomplished storyteller, with something of an iconoclastic outlook on society and its customs, and that comes through in this book as well. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Ten Thousand Blunt Instruments was edited by mystery author Bill Pronzini, who contributes an informative and lively introduction which goes into more details about Philip Wylie’s career. The volume is one of Crippen & Landru’s “Lost Classics” series, made up of collections of short stories by major writers – some regular mystery authors, others, like Philip Wylie, from the broader field of literature. [When last I checked, in December 2018, it was still in print and available from C&L - ed.]The characters, the settings and the plots combine to make this a worthwhile addition to any mystery reader’s library.

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You can listen to the complete recording of the podcast review by clicking here.

]]>Browsing through the Classic Mysteries vault again the other day, I was delighted to come across this entry from about eight years ago pointing out the excellent mystery short stories written by Philip Wylie. I read some books by Wylie...Browsing through the Classic Mysteries vault again the other day, I was delighted to come across this entry from about eight years ago pointing out the excellent mystery short stories written by Philip Wylie. I read some books by Wylie...Browsing through the Classic Mysteries vault again the other day, I was delighted to come across this entry from about eight years ago pointing out the excellent mystery short stories written by Philip Wylie. I read some books by Wylie...From the Vault, General Suggestions, Short Storieshttps://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/TenThousandBluntInstruments.mp3"The Green Ace"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2019/01/the-green-ace.htmlFunny MysteriesGeneral Suggestionsclassic mysteriesHildegarde WithersmysteriesmysteryStuart PalmerLes BlattSun, 06 Jan 2019 12:55:06 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3863d71200c

As far as the police were concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. As far as the jury which heard his trial was concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. As far as New York City homicide detective Oscar Piper was concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. All of which may explain why Andy Rowan found himself in New York State's notorious Sing Sing Prison awaiting a date with the electric chair in just nine days' time. It certainly appeared as if only two people believed in Andy's innocence, and one of them was Andy himself. Fortunately for him, the other person was New York City schoolteacher (retired) Hildegarde Withers. The story of her race against time to prove Andy Rowan not guilty of murder is told in Stuart Palmer's book, The Green Ace, first published in 1950. It's the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

Maybe Stuart Palmer had it right when he described his central character, Hildegarde Withers, as a "meddlesome old battleaxe," but Andy Rowan may wind up being grateful for her meddling. While Andy Rowan has said very little to anyone about his trial and conviction – except to repeat that he did not commit the murder – he has found a way to try to force the hand of the New York City police force by writing a new will, in which he leaves a healthy sum of money to chief homicide inspector Oscar Piper – but only if the inspector will reexamine the case AFTER Rowan’s execution and find the real killer. Inspector Piper hears of this bequest and is appalled – in fact, he blurts the story out to his good friend (and frequent sparring partner over murder cases), Hildegarde Withers. For both the inspector and Hildy know that if Rowan is executed, and his will with that bequest becomes public knowledge, the newspapers will probably have a career-ending field day. But while the inspector remains convinced that Rowan is indeed guilty, Hildy Withers is not. She launches herself into a new, private investigation of the case despite the fury of Oscar Piper – and when she begins to learn some interesting (and hitherto unknown) facts that cast considerable doubt over Andy Rowan’s guilt, it doesn’t take long for a new murder to complicate matters. It will take some more startling developments, the usual assortment of twists and turns – and a final confrontation with all the major suspects – for Hildy to wrap up the case (with, to be sure, considerable help, even if it is reluctant help, from Inspector Piper).

It’s all done with wit and charm, a whole collection of interesting and rather unusual suspects, and of course the added tension provided by the execution clock ticking away in the background, counting down to Andy Rowan’s date with the Sing Sing electric chair. The Green Ace, by Stuart Palmer, is, I think, a fine example of Withers and Piper at work – and at odds – together.

By the way, if you're a fan of Hildegarde Withers - and I admit I am - please look at the next post here on Classic Mysteries - you'll find my old review of another Miss Withers mystery, The Puzzle of the Silver Persian. I think you'll enjoy both these books.

]]>As far as the police were concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. As far as the jury which heard his trial was concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. As far as New York City homicide detective Oscar Piper...As far as the police were concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. As far as the jury which heard his trial was concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. As far as New York City homicide detective Oscar Piper...As far as the police were concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. As far as the jury which heard his trial was concerned, Andy Rowan was guilty of murder. As far as New York City homicide detective Oscar Piper...Funny Mysteries, General Suggestions, classic mysteries, Hildegarde Withers, mysteries, mystery, Stuart Palmerhttps://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/GreenAce.mp3From the Vault: "The Puzzle of the Silver Persian"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2019/01/from-the-vault-the-puzzle-of-the-silver-persian.htmlFrom the VaultFunny MysteriesGeneral SuggestionsGolden Ageclassic mysteriesfunny mysteriesGADGolden Age of DetectionHildegarde WithersHildymysteriesmysteryLes BlattSun, 23 Dec 2018 07:23:46 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3a94a8d200d

Mysteries with cats as characters - sometimes even as detectives - are pretty common these days, mostly in so-called "cozies." Here's one that not only has a distinctive cat (whose behavior, throughout, is feline rather than anthropomorphic), but it also has a smart and sharp-tongued human detective who is another of my favorites: Miss Hildegarde Withers, school teacher and occasional detective when she lands herself in the middle of a murder case. It's The Puzzle of the Silver Persian, by Stuart Palmer, originally published in 1935. I reviewed it on a Classic Mysteries podcast eight years ago. Here's what I said (edited, as always):

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The trouble really began as a practical joke, on board a ship sailing from New York to London. But the joke soon turned ugly when a young woman disappeared. And then the murders began. It turned into a real nightmare on board the ship and beyond for schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers and the other passengers, as documented in The Puzzle of the Silver Persian, by Stuart Palmer.

Miss Hildegarde Withers must have been a formidable schoolteacher. Certainly, her creator, Stuart Palmer, used to refer to her as a “meddlesome old battleaxe,” which seems a bit unfair. Of course, she did have a habit of turning up right in the middle of a murder plot – and generally had a hand in solving it. But even the police eventually had to admit that her meddling helped them find their way through to the right solution.

And that’s what happens again in The Puzzle of the Silver Persian, published in 1934, the fourth entry in this series of more than a dozen novels about Miss Withers. This time, the New York schoolteacher is sailing to England for a vacation, trying to get some past adventures with murder and mayhem out of her mind. Not likely, I’m afraid.

A practical joker sets up a particularly nasty trick to embarrass one of the young women traveling on the ship. It works – but it’s promptly followed by the disappearance of the victim, who may have committed suicide by jumping overboard, practically in front of Miss Withers. While the ship’s officers are investigating the woman’s disappearance, there is another death, which may be murder or suicide. The police, who have boarded the ship as it nears London, immediately leap to some mistaken conclusions.

But soon there are more murders, in London, of other passengers who had been on the ship. Miss Withers, with her experience at helping New York City police investigate previous murders, tries to help the English police officers involved – who seem less than thrilled by her participation. Eventually, Miss Withers accepts the invitation of another passenger to visit her at a castle in Cornwall – where there is another death and more misadventure before the entire affair is sorted out. It’s worth mentioning that there’s more than one impossible crime to be solved here. And one of the keys to the puzzle – perhaps the most important clue of all – is provided by the behavior of a passenger’s cat, a Silver Persian named Tobermory.

In a lot of ways, this could be considered a 1935 version of a cozy mystery – you have a schoolteacher-detective, the sometimes hapless police (who are not, by any means, as dumb as you may think), minimal violence (even when the murders are committed in full view of the reader), even an intelligent cat playing a critical role in the solution. There’s also some humor, although perhaps not as much as in some of Palmer’s other books about Hildegarde Withers. But I found the twists and turns of this story, where unexpected events pile up remarkably quickly, to be thoroughly enjoyable, and I have to admit that I was led quite neatly up at least a few of the many garden paths explored here.

Miss Withers was a success in the movies, and she was featured in quite a number of both novels and short stories. The Puzzle of the Sliver Persian is a very good entry in this series, with memorable characters, some impossible crime situations, and the sharp-tongued Hildegarde Withers presiding over the investigation, whether the police like it or not. Although, Miss Withers is forced, as a long-time reader of Sherlock Holmes stories, to admit to one of the police investigators…"you’re not exactly a Lestrade, you know." If you don’t know Miss Withers, Stuart Palmer’s The Puzzle of the Silver Persian is an excellent way to meet her.

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You can listen to the complete review from the Classic Mysteries podcast by clicking here.

]]>Mysteries with cats as characters - sometimes even as detectives - are pretty common these days, mostly in so-called "cozies." Here's one that not only has a distinctive cat (whose behavior, throughout, is feline rather than anthropomorphic), but it also...Mysteries with cats as characters - sometimes even as detectives - are pretty common these days, mostly in so-called "cozies." Here's one that not only has a distinctive cat (whose behavior, throughout, is feline rather than anthropomorphic), but it also.Mysteries with cats as characters - sometimes even as detectives - are pretty common these days, mostly in so-called "cozies." Here's one that not only has a distinctive cat (whose behavior, throughout, is feline rather than anthropomorphic), but it also...From the Vault, Funny Mysteries, General Suggestions, Golden Age, classic mysteries, funny mysteries, GAD, Golden Age of Detection, Hildegarde Withers, Hildy, mysteries, mysteryhttp://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/PuzzleOfTheSilverPersian.mp3"The Belting Inheritance"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2018/12/the-belting-inheritance.htmlGeneral SuggestionsModern Mastersclassic mysteriesJulian SymonsmysteriesmysteryLes BlattSat, 29 Dec 2018 16:12:43 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3aa8197200d

There is nothing quite like the prospect of an inherited fortune to provide a motive for all sorts of mischief in a traditional or classic mystery plot. Here's a very good example for you. Consider the case of a British family that lost two sons in the battles of World War II. Hugh and David Wainwright, the two older sons of the Wainwright family, were duly reported, first as missing in action, then presumed dead. The Wainwright family, as with so many other families caught up in that conflagration, mourned their dead, but tried to pick up the broken pieces of their lives and continue at Belting, their family home, under the influence of Lady Wainwright, the family's rather autocratic matriarch.

And then, many years later, as Lady Wainwright's health began to fail, and her two younger sons, Miles and Stephen Wainwright, began to anticipate inheriting a legacy that might be considerable, a letter arrives at Belting one morning, signed by someone claiming to be David Wainwright - who, according to the letter, had survived the war. He had been captured early in the war, lived through horrible experiences including torture, first as a German prisoner of war and later, for many years, in a Russian prison camp. But he was now free and planned to return to Belting to rejoin his family.

Lady Wainwright was overjoyed that her son had survived and was returning. Stephen and Miles were horrified, seeing what they believed to be an impostor attempting to grab the family inheritance when their mother died. And it wasn't too long before the man calling himself David Wainwright came to Belting and the family began trying to prove - or disprove - his claims. And it wasn't very long after that until someone was murdered at Belting...

The story may be found in The Belting Inheritance, by Julian Symons, first published in 1964. The book is the latest in the British Library Crime Classics series and it is set to be published in the U.S. next week by Poisoned Pen Press, which sent me an advance reading copy for this review. The Belting Inheritance is the subject of this week's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast. You can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

Julian Symons is remembered today primarily for his literary criticism of mysteries – he was a powerful and influential critic whose book called Bloody Murder (or, in the United States, Mortal Consequences) is still a subject for discussion (and not a little contention). But Symons was also a very talented and popular mystery writer. His work came well after the end of the Golden Age – The Belting Inheritance was published in 1965 – and there is a much greater reliance on psychological portraits of the characters rather than upon a puzzle-plot which is at the heart of the book. As with other books in this excellent series of mysteries, British author and mystery historian Martin Edwards has contributed a useful and highly readable introduction.

]]>There is nothing quite like the prospect of an inherited fortune to provide a motive for all sorts of mischief in a traditional or classic mystery plot. Here's a very good example for you. Consider the case of a British...There is nothing quite like the prospect of an inherited fortune to provide a motive for all sorts of mischief in a traditional or classic mystery plot. Here's a very good example for you. Consider the case of a British...There is nothing quite like the prospect of an inherited fortune to provide a motive for all sorts of mischief in a traditional or classic mystery plot. Here's a very good example for you. Consider the case of a British...General Suggestions, Modern Masters, classic mysteries, Julian Symons, mysteries, mysteryhttps://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/BeltingInheritance.mp3From the Vault: "Merlin's Furlong"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2018/12/from-the-vault-merlins-furlong.htmlFrom the VaultGeneral Suggestionsclassic mysteriesFrom the VaultGADGladys MitchellGolden Age of DetectionMrs. BradleymysteriesmysteryLes BlattThu, 27 Dec 2018 11:55:17 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3c8e552200b

Among the long list of fine writers who created that Golden Age of Detective Fiction in England, there is one author in particular who is (and was) very well known to English audiences, but virtually unknown to Americans. That writer is Gladys Mitchell, the creator of Mrs. Bradley, a psychiatrist and psychologist by trade who has her own, very unique way of solving difficult and unusual cases. She does so in a series of more than 60 books (and a number of short stories), written between 1929 and Mitchell's death in 1983. Her stories were happily devoured by readers in the U.K., but remarkably few were available in the United States. Amazon, through its Thomas & Mercer imprint, has reissued (or, in some cases, issued for the first time) many of Mitchell's books, most in Kindle format but many in paper editions as well. Granted, Mrs. Bradley, with her reptilian features, cackling laugh and distinctly English eccentricities, is, I think, an acquired taste. But she's certainly worth a try if you're looking for unusual settings and generally unpredictable plot twists. Here's my review of Merlin's Furlong (1953), one of the books you might use as a jumping-off point for meeting Gladys Mitchell and Mrs. Bradley. (As usual, there has been some editing, mostly of time references):

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When you come right down to it, the whole story didn’t seem to make much sense. An old man got himself murdered – a bad-tempered old man who played the dangerous game (at least for characters in a mystery it’s dangerous) of altering his will and setting his heirs at odds with each other over their possible inheritances. But then you wound up with too many suspects. Too many people running around the murder scene. Too many unanswered questions. And, as it turned out, too many murders. Oh, and witchcraft – did I mention witchcraft? And too many places – by far – named after that master of Arthurian mysteries, Merlin. It required all the genius of Mrs. Beatrice Lestrange Bradley to sort it all out – which she does in Merlin’s Furlong, by Gladys Mitchell.

I have observed, in earlier reviews of Gladys Mitchell’s books, that she’s something of an acquired taste. Not very many of her books were published in the United States during her lifetime, and only a limited number are available now. I think that’s a shame, for an author who was regarded, in England at least, as the equal of such writers as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Mitchell specializes in quirky plots, with over-the-top eccentric characters and odd situations. Her detective character, a psychiatrist named Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley, is a wonderful personality – the best description, for those of us who have read the Hildegarde Withers books of Stuart Palmer, is that Mrs. Bradley is sort of a Hildy Withers, but a bit smarter and sharper and way way uglier. Mitchell frequently describes her looks as “reptilian.”

Of the Gladys Mitchell books that I’ve read, I think Merlin’s Furlong is one of the most approachable for an American audience. Its plot is dazzlingly complex, with lots of surprises along the way. The characters, as with so many of Mitchell’s books, are a combination of typically-English types and outright lunatic eccentrics. And, for once, Mrs. Bradley doesn’t keep all her deductions and observations to herself for most of the book; she solves the puzzles piecemeal and takes the audience along with her for the ride.

And it’s quite a ride. It begins with a disagreeable and rather repellent old man named Aumbrey, who calls his nephews together at his house – Merlin’s Furlong - to announce that he is changing his will. There are some peculiar events surrounding the writing of the new will, but it appears that Uncle Aumbrey’s wishes will be carried out.

But we are suddenly taken to a different group of people – three collegiate undergraduates, who set out on what they call a lark: they undertake to recover a religious object which, according to the college professor who hires them, has been stolen from him by Mr. Aumbrey. And so the trio set out for the house called Merlin’s Furlong – only to wind up lost. It seems there are a great many places in the neighborhood with similar names – Merlin’s Fort and Merlin’s Castle, in particular – and it takes them a couple of days to get everything straightened out to their satisfaction. But when they arrive at Merlin’s Furlong, they find the body of Mr. Aumbrey.

And that is where the story becomes truly complicated. There is another murder. Police aren’t sure whether the undergraduates are a part of the problem…or how to fit in those Aumbrey nephews we met earlier. And so Mrs. Bradley is called in; she has a reputation, of sorts, for helping to sort out difficult cases and has sympathy for collegiate undergraduates who get themselves into trouble.

The more Mrs. Bradley and her friends investigate, the more unsavory this case becomes. That professor turns out to have been deeply involved with the practice of witchcraft, among other things, and that becomes a major theme in the story. The 21st century reader should also be warned: there are some very early-20th-century attitudes and language used regarding non-English servant characters.

Mrs. Bradley eventually pieces it together and manages to explain all that has happened – and find the true culprit behind much of the mystification. But it’s a rough ride, with a lot of sudden twists. I found Gladys Mitchell’s “Merlin’s Furlong” thoroughly enjoyable – as I say, I would argue that it’s one of the most approachable Mrs. Bradley mysteries for an American audience.

]]>Among the long list of fine writers who created that Golden Age of Detective Fiction in England, there is one author in particular who is (and was) very well known to English audiences, but virtually unknown to Americans. That writer...Among the long list of fine writers who created that Golden Age of Detective Fiction in England, there is one author in particular who is (and was) very well known to English audiences, but virtually unknown to Americans. That writer...Among the long list of fine writers who created that Golden Age of Detective Fiction in England, there is one author in particular who is (and was) very well known to English audiences, but virtually unknown to Americans. That writer...From the Vault, General Suggestions, classic mysteries, From the Vault, GAD, Gladys Mitchell, Golden Age of Detection, Mrs. Bradley, mysteries, mysteryhttps://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/MerlinsFurlong.mp3"Death of an Old Girl"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2018/12/death-of-an-old-girl.htmlGeneral Suggestionsacademic mysteriesclassic mysteriesmysteriesmysteryLes BlattTue, 25 Dec 2018 05:08:16 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3837e5a200c

Is it likely that someone would be murdered simply because she - or he - was an intensely irritating person? Well it's something of a rarity in traditional mysteries - there is usually a good solid motive for most fictional crimes, though it may be well concealed by the murderer. All of which brings me to this week's review on the Classic Mysteries podcast of a book called Death of an Old Girl, by Elizabeth Lemarchand. Published in 1967, it was the first in a series of 17 mysteries to feature Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Pollard and his assistant, Sergeant Toye. You can listen to the complete audio review by clicking here.

The book begins at the annual reunion of the Old Meldonian Society, the alumnae association for the graduates of the Meldon School for Girls, known more familiarly as the "old girls." We are introduced to members of the teaching staff (especially the headmistress, Helen Renshaw, and the art teacher, Ann Cartmell) and some of the other workers at the school. And we meet Beatrice Baynes, an “Old Meldonian” who is contemptuous of the way she has seen “her school” become more modern, more attuned to younger pupils and teachers over the years. Baynes is not happy with what she sees, and she appears to have plenty of venom to spare for just about anyone she dislikes on the school staff, especially Helen Renshaw and Ann Cartmell.

But when Beatrice Baynes first disappears – and then, to the surprise, I am sure, of absolutely no readers, turns up as a murder victim – both the police and the school staff cannot find any good reason why she should have been murdered. She was certainly irritating, but as a general rule people aren’t murdered simply for being irritating. So, when Detective Inspector Pollard and Sergeant Toye are sent to Meldon to investigate the murder, they find themselves tripping up against that apparent lack of motive. It is fair to say that most of the book will be dedicated to that search for a reason. There is a great deal of time spent creating and studying schedules and timetables, looking for someone among the possible suspects who might have had the opportunity to commit the murder, but motive remains elusive. But even as it starts to become clear just who might have had that opportunity, it will be that elusive motive which will, when revealed, provide the evidence needed to trap a murderer.

Pollard and Toye make for a congenial pair of criminal investigators. It’s fun to watch them as they interview potential suspects and plod their way through the routine procedural work that often reveals significant clues; it’s even more fun to watch as they carefully build their timetables and – eventually – begin to uncover the truth behind a puzzling crime. I think you'll find Elizabeth Lemarchand's Death of an Old Girl both lively and interesting.

]]>[Page updated to correct the author's name. D'oh! Thanks to Jon Blake for catching this!] Is it likely that someone would be murdered simply because she - or he - was an intensely irritating person? Well it's something of a...[Page updated to correct the author's name. D'oh! Thanks to Jon Blake for catching this!] Is it likely that someone would be murdered simply because she - or he - was an intensely irritating person? Well it's something of a...[Page updated to correct the author's name. D'oh! Thanks to Jon Blake for catching this!] Is it likely that someone would be murdered simply because she - or he - was an intensely irritating person? Well it's something of a...General Suggestions, academic mysteries, classic mysteries, mysteries, mysteryhttp://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/DeathOfAnOldGirl.mp3From the Vault: "The League of Frightened Men"https://www.classicmysteries.net/2018/12/from-the-vault-the-league-of-frightened-men.htmlFrom the VaultGeneral SuggestionsGolden AgePrivate EyesArchie GoodwinClassic mysteriesFrom the VaultmysteriesmysteryNero WolfeRex StoutLes BlattFri, 21 Dec 2018 07:27:42 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451f2b269e2022ad3c7af0b200b

Rex Stout's first novel about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, Fer-de-Lance, was published in 1934; his last, A Family Affair, appeared more than 40 years later, in 1975. It is remarkable to look back over all the six-dozen-or-so books and novellas that came in between and see how Wolfe and Archie developed over the years. It is also fun to go back to the earliest novels to see how different the characters were in their earliest book appearances. I think that's particularly true of the second book in the series, The League of Frightened Men, which I still consider one of my favorites. Both Wolfe and Archie's personalities were still a little rough in 1935, the year when The League of Frightened Men was published. To me, that simply made the book that much more interesting. I reviewed it on the Classic Mysteries podcast nearly a decade ago. Here's that review, slightly edited (mostly to correct and refresh outdated material):

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It began as a college prank – the kind that used to be pretty common on a lot of campuses during the early years of the 20th century. It was some upper class men hazing a freshman. It ended in an accident that left the victim partially immobilized for life. Many years later, those upper-classmen are having their own accidents – fatal accidents. Their one-time victim may be to blame. So his one-time tormentors are turning to Nero Wolfe for help. They now call themselves…The League of Frightened Men…the title of Rex Stout’s second Nero Wolfe mystery.

I’m going back to Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe again because I recently reread The League of Frightened Men, which was first published 84 years ago. I reread it for discussions with the Wolfe Pack, the society of Nero Wolfe enthusiasts. As I said, this was Rex Stout’s second Nero Wolfe novel, and it shows, somewhat. Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, in particular, are still somewhat rough-cut in this book. Wolfe’s mannerisms can be pretty tough to take sometimes – although we accept them because Archie accepts them. But Archie himself is also pretty rough in this book, lacking a lot of the easy charm he acquires in later books.

But The League of Frightened Men does feature a character who is, I think, one of the most interesting in any Nero Wolfe novel. That’s the character of Paul Chapin, the young man who was the victim of that hazing incident – and who may now be taking revenge against his tormentors by killing them off, one by one.

For that is what seems to be happening in this novel. Those tormentors – the members of the League – banded together after the accident to help their victim, Paul Chapin – but that help breeds bitterness within Chapin and becomes both hatred and resentment. And when members of the group begin getting anonymous letters after the deaths of their one-time friends, they are quite sure the letters are coming from Paul Chapin. So they are quite ripe for an approach from Nero Wolfe, who undertakes to remove their fear of Paul Chapin. How is he to do that? That, of course, is key to the events in the book.

Wolfe learns a great deal – in fact, it appears, all he needs to know – about Chapin by reading the books that Chapin has written. Rex Stout, in fact, had written a number of so-called “psychological” novels before trying his hand at mysteries, and that side of Stout’s abilities is on display here. Chapin is a fascinating character. At one point, early in the book, Chapin, uninvited, walks into a meeting of the frightened men at Nero Wolfe’s office. Listen to how Archie sets up Chapin’s speech:

Chapin sent a smile around; it would have been merely a pleasant smile but for his light-colored eyes where there was no smile at all. “I’ve been standing on one foot for twenty-five years. Of course all of you know that; I don’t need to tell you. I’m sorry if I’ve annoyed you by coming here; really, I wouldn’t disconcert you fellows for anything. You’ve all been too kind to me, you know very well you have. If I may get a little literary and sentimental about it – you have lightened life's burden for me. I’ll never forget it. I’ve told you that a thousand times. Of course, now that I seem to have found my métier, now that I am standing on my own feet – that is, my own foot – “ he smiled around again – “I shall be able to find my way the rest of the journey without you. But I shall always be grateful.”

That gives you a little of the flavor of Chapin, who can twist those words like a knife. He is a worthy antagonist for Nero Wolfe. The developments, the deaths which may have been murder, the shooting that certainly IS murder, and Wolfe’s brilliant solution of the complex plot – these all add up to one of the best of the early Wolfe novels. I promise you’ll never forget Paul Chapin. Rex Stout’s The League of Frightened Men is still readily available; in fact, Bantam has reissued it in a twofer edition, paired with the very first Nero Wolfe novel, Fer-de-Lance. There are many opportunities in the later books to enjoy a more polished Wolfe, a more sophisticated Archie. But you’ll never forget Paul Chapin. It’s a terrific book.

]]>Rex Stout's first novel about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, Fer-de-Lance, was published in 1934; his last, A Family Affair, appeared more than 40 years later, in 1975. It is remarkable to look back over all the six-dozen-or-so books and...Rex Stout's first novel about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, Fer-de-Lance, was published in 1934; his last, A Family Affair, appeared more than 40 years later, in 1975. It is remarkable to look back over all the six-dozen-or-so books and...Rex Stout's first novel about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, Fer-de-Lance, was published in 1934; his last, A Family Affair, appeared more than 40 years later, in 1975. It is remarkable to look back over all the six-dozen-or-so books and...From the Vault, General Suggestions, Golden Age, Private Eyes, Archie Goodwin, Classic mysteries, From the Vault, mysteries, mystery, Nero Wolfe, Rex Stouthttps://traffic.libsyn.com/classicmysteries/MerlinsFurlong.mp3nonadult